Fall TV Preview: Our Night-by-Night Guide

Our look ahead to the Fall TV season begins with this nightly guide to new and returning shows, which also includes a quick peek at shows expected in midseason. In the coming days, look for a calendar of premiere dates for all shows, as well as our Fall Reality TV Preview.

Mondays

Monday Primetime Schedule (All times ET/PT)

8:00

8:30

9:00

9:30

10:00

10:30

Dancing With The Stars

Castle

How I Met Your Mother

Rules of Engagement

Two and a Half Men

Mike and Molly

Hawaii Five-0

90210

Gossip Girl

[Local programming]

House

Lone Star

[Local programming]

Chuck

The Event

Chase

New shows are highlighted in bold above.

New shows

Key new show:Hawaii Five-0(CBS, 10p starting 9/20)
CBS' latest crime procedural shares a name, characters, and location with the 1970s-era police drama,
but don't expect the same campy fun. Instead, this 21st-century version of Hawaii Five-0 from producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Fringe, Transformers) goes for action, and the well-received, big-budget pilot plays like a summer blockbuster. The question is: can they pull off the same success on a weekly basis with less money to spend on explosions? The series stars Alex O'Loughlin (whose previous CBS shows Three Rivers and Moonlight failed), Scott Caan (Ocean’s Eleven), Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) and Grace Park (Battlestar Galactica).

May not last long:Chase(NBC, 10p starting 9/20)
The latest Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama follows a group of Texas-based U.S. Marshals who track down America's most-wanted fugitives; Kelli Giddish (Past Life) and Cole Hauser (K-Ville) star. NBC ordered just 13 episodes, but it may not even last that long; early buzz is nonexistent, and cable already offers superior shows about the Marshals Service (USA's In Plain Sight, FX's Justified).

Also: Centering on a con man leading a double life, Fox's unconventional Texas oil industry soap Lone Star(9p starting 9/20) has earned some of the most positive notices from critics based on early views, and Andie MacDowell was recently added to a cast that already includes Jon Voight ... Expect a lot of fat jokes in the Overeaters Anonymous dating comedy Mike & Molly(CBS, 9:30p starting 9/20), the only new sitcom on Monday nights ... NBC is hoping that a solid cast (Blair Underwood, Jason Ritter, Laura Innes) can overcome generic characters to draw viewers to The Event(9p starting 9/20), which offers a mysterious, conspiracy-rich, serialized storyline at a time when audiences seem to be growing tired of such things.

Returning shows

Key returning show:House(Fox, 8p starting 9/20)
No, last season's finale was not a dream: House and Cuddy will indeed explore a more personal relationship on the upcoming seventh season of House, as the show looks to tinker with its formula, at least slightly. Other changes in store for the upcoming season include the addition of Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia) to the cast as a young medical student who joins House's team. She'll be replacing -- temporarily -- Olivia Wilde, who will miss multiple episodes to shoot the movie Cowboys & Aliens.

Also:How I Met Your Mother(CBS, 8p starting 9/20) kicks off the season with a "game-changing" plot development as producers attempt to improve on last year's lackluster season five ... Bonita Friedericy has been elevated to series regular for season four of Chuck(NBC, 8p starting 9/20), but the bigger casting news is that Linda Hamilton (Terminator) will appear in multiple episodes as Chuck's mom ... A major male character will come out of the closet on the third season of 90210(CW, 8p starting 9/13), while Entourage's Adrian Grenier will guest on an upcoming episode ... Gossip Girl(CW, 9p starting 9/13) will feature guest appearances by Melrose Place's Katie Cassidy and Project Runway's Tim Gunn ... Don't expect Castle and Beckett to get back together anytime soon on Castle(ABC, 10p starting 9/20), as the two main characters will be seeing other people during season four ... The next "celebrity" cast of Dancing With The Stars(ABC, 8p starting 9/20) will be revealed on August 30, and it likely won't include the previously-rumored Troy Aikman ... CBS' Rules of Engagement(8:30p starting 9/20) will get a new gay character for season five after the network received a failing grade from GLAAD ... A lack of jail time for Charlie Sheen after an assault charge means that the return of Two and a Half Men(CBS, 9p starting 9/20) will proceed as scheduled.

Cable highlights

Key show:Men of a Certain Age(TNT, 10p starting 11/29)
One of last season's most critically-acclaimed new series (and a ratings hit for TNT), Men stars Ray Romano, Scott Bakula, and the Emmy-nominated Andre Braugher as a trio of friends dealing with middle age. The dramedy returns with a dozen new episodes in its second season, though you'll have to wait until after Thanksgiving to see them.

Thin, thin fall season. What the hell ever happened to Swing Town, CBS?? That was GOOD! And I miss The Unit. And Jericho. Good wrap-up.

Nashid

Aug 21, 2010 7:38AM

Thanks, Man. Very thorough preview.

Christopher

Aug 21, 2010 7:55AM

Great job. I'm starting to really love the content of this site.

Jim

Aug 21, 2010 11:37AM

the original Hawaii 5 0 was a great show but without Jack Lord and James MacArthur it will be a lot different. I have hopes because of the strong acting team they assembled. I do hope they at least use the great music from the first 5-0.

Men of a Certain Age sounds ...well who wants to listen to l old men gripe..that is too much like real life.

Is anyone else getting over dosed on Two and a half pervs running the same shtick over and over?

Chase...just what we need..NOT. In Plain Sight, the Close and the original NCIS are very good but the rest of them are at best .....time fillers.....we need more options besides yet another cop show

Tom

Aug 23, 2010 6:49AM

I will try The Event and Chase . I am not interested in a fat people show like Mike&amp;Molly . And Hawaii 50 doesn't even compare to the Original, nothing new, standard cop show crap with mostly second rate actors. No Jack Lord, No Hawaii 50.

Damasc

Aug 26, 2010 7:31PM

Well done mate..All I really needed to know about the upcoming season. Cheers